People Profiles

Preparation
Students need paper, writing instruments and access to ICT/Internet; they will need coloured pens/pencils for the job advertisement if ICT is not being used.

Differentiated target
By the end of the lesson:

• All students will understand that businesses operate in different sectors of the economy.
• Most students will understand the difference between these sectors, especially in terms of working practices.
• Some students will understand that people in different sectors may have different career motivations for their chosen pathway.

Activities
Students list jobs in various businesses, decide on a job they would like to do, and create a job advertisement and job description for it.

Thought starter
(10 minutes)

a) See who is first to ten, fifteen, twenty etc. You can then pool all answers to get a 'master' list.

b) This exercise should be carried out with a partner. You could play a game of tennis to see what the similarities and differences are. One student reads one Case Study, the other student reads the other. The first student serves with a statement of 'my business operates in the high street'; the second student returns with 'so does mine'. The score is 15 all and the first student serves again. Only if there is a contrast does the opponent not score, for example 'my business specialises in computers'.

Expected outcome

a) (5 minutes)
Whilst students may only be familiar with the 'front end' of these organisations and think only of sales, there is an almost endless list of jobs when the rest of the business is included. These include everything from the catalogue designers and models at Argos to technicians at Homebase.

Development
(40 minutes)

b) This should be carried out by the same partners as above. There are likely to be some jobs in promotion (such as the manager who negotiates Beckham's contract) that have been missed. David Beckham, Icon of Vodafone, is working in the same industry as the people who design and launch communications satellites!

c) This could be an advertisement in a newspaper or, to provide more scope, in a glossy colour magazine. It should include the major features of an advertisement such as job title, salary, skills, location and where to apply. It would be useful to have a selection of job advertisements for students to look at, to give them ideas. The job description should include all the details that are not in the advertisement, such as the exact nature of the duties to be carried out, expanding on the information in the advertisement. It will also show, by naming qualifications or experience, the likely pathway in that sector.

Expected outcome

b) (15 minutes)
Work in the three businesses can be linked to all sectors of the economy:

• Primary, through sourcing raw materials (e.g. paper for catalogues, silver for microchips, plastic for phones.)
• Secondary, through manufacturing handsets and computers, or any of the goods sold at Argos.
• Tertiary or service sector, through sales and service provision.

Students should write the various jobs on card and then group them together. Different sectors will have chosen different pathways to their jobs. A satellite engineer may have an engineering degree or science background. A sales director may have risen through experience. You could take this further by looking at the likely different working conditions (wage vs. salary; holiday entitlement; other perks). Such differences should be highlighted.

Those higher up the organisational structure are likely to be paid more but will also have more responsibility. They are also likely to be better qualified and/or more experienced than those beneath them.

c) (25 minutes)
A job advertisement, either designed on computer (if using ICT) or by hand.

Plenary
(10 minutes)

d) This is a form of 'just a minute', the radio game. Students should describe exactly what tasks their chosen job would carry out, or what qualifications or experience they have; the class have the opportunity to guess either the sector, or the actual job, at any point. If the guess is correct, the student sits down and the turn passes to the student who made the guess.

Extension Activity

Think of a possible replacement for David Beckham as the 'face' of Vodafone. Who would you choose and why? As the agent of your suggested replacement, write a letter to Vodafone suggesting why your client would be perfect for the job.

People Profiles.